COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina troopers are getting ready for a two-week crackdown aimed at getting more people to wear seat belts.
The Buckle Up, South Carolina campaign starts Monday and runs through June 6. It was timed to go along with Memorial Day weekend, which the Highway Patrol says starts the summer period where traffic fatalities often increase.
The emphasis for this year's crackdown in on truck drivers, said State Transport Police Col. Dean Dill.
“People often have the misconception that operators of large trucks are safe because of the sheer size of the vehicle,” Dill said in a statement.
Along with enforcing seat belt laws on highways, officials also plan social media messages along with television and radio ads reminding people to wear seat belts using people who can't celebrate milestones because a loved one died in a wreck and wasn't wearing a seat belt.
“So far this year, 259 of the 366 people who have died in motor vehicle collisions (with access to seat belts) were not buckled up. We know seat belts save lives," South Carolina Highway Patrol Col. Chris Williamson said in a statement.